Applying Yourself
by FluffyLemonn
Summary: Scott and Jean spend an (unusually) quiet evening in the Institute together. Fireplaces, coed couches, and relaxation can work wonders, it seems. (Jott waff, as well as a bit of actual sense. O.o That‘s possible...?)


Disclaimer: I do not own any X-Men characters. They belong to Marvel, and the Evolution characters belong to the brilliant Steven E. Gordon.

For information on why I've given up on my other stories (though not completely, fear not), please go to my main page. Thanks!

FL

* * *

"And _that_," Jean Grey said with a grunt as she shut the last door, "is the last student's room." Voicing her satisfaction at the now-empty girl's dorm, she tossed her hair. "And good riddance." She turned on her heel and strode to the door at the end of the hallway, smiling guiltily as she went. Halfway down the adjoining staircase, she was met by Scott, who had just finished his own scouting duties in the boy's dorms. He, too, was smiling, and Jean's grin widened as he threw an arm about her shoulders as they headed down the stairs to the Mess Hall. She mentally ordered her blush to back down, insisting that Scott was merely putting forth an unusually physical show of his shared glee. She couldn't blame him.

They had spring break ahead of them, and no students to look after for the entirety of it.

As odd as it was, Jean was staying behind this year. Though her parents had tried to convince her to visit them for her two weeks off, Jean had firmly stayed put. She knew Scott hated holidays as they left the mansion quite empty, and she'd had an overwhelming desire to counter that. Maybe it was because he would have been completely alone this year? After all, he usually had at least Rogue's company, but this year Rogue had been placed into a surrogate "Mutant-Welcoming" household to try and neutralize her homesickness sting.

Professor Xavier had insisted that the couple were from a group of old friends of his and that Rogue would surely enjoy the city atmosphere of her stay. She'd been less than willing, of course, but a gentle push from Scott had sent her right out the door. He'd told her off to the side (but well within Jean's guilty mental readings) that he thought it'd do her some good and that she should at least get out of the house to do a bit of extra shopping. He'd pushed the right button when he asked her to get him a little something, as she was going to Arizona, and that he wanted her to come back with a gothic tan. She'd let out a laugh and a smile, and Jean had had to forcefully remind herself that Rogue _never_ blushed. So, in essence, Rogue was gone for the week, and was the envy of all other students who were going home to unhappily cold places. Jean, however, had remained planted where she was, and at the moment, that was underneath Scott's well-muscled arm. Which meant Jean was very possible an "Envied!" candidate as well.

He certainly seems to be in a more carefree mood than usual, Jean noticed. _Maybe it's because he's got virtually no responsibility right now... hmm. _Jean was shocked out of her reverie when Scott gave her a little shake.

Jean noticed. Jean was shocked out of her reverie when Scott gave her a little shake. 

"Jean? Earth to Jean... what do you want to do now? I mean, there's no one around to watch and yell at. And if you want to be technical, we get the next two weeks off from training, so we're off the hook when it comes to that, too. Unless you _want_ to train, of course." Scott said, steering Jean in the general direction of the Front Hall. Jean laughed, timing her footsteps so they would compliment Scott's longer ones, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know. Usually, if I were home, I'd grab as many movies as I could at once and settle down. Honestly, I'm no good to anyone once I start up the DVD player." She giggled, swiveling her head on his shoulder to look up at his face. He chuckled, his head moving a bit as though he were rolling his eyes. Jean scoffed, pushing him with her shoulder. "Well, excuse me for being lazy. What do _you_ do, oh great leader of mine?" Jean stumbled over the last word, her brain thinking 'ours' and her mouth saying 'mine'. Scott caught the rift and cleared his throat uneasily, but let it go for the embarrassed Jean's sake.

"Well, Rogue and I usually just kind of... sit around. You'd be amazed how many games we've found around here. And sometimes we'd just talk, or listen to music, or something. We're different, so everything was a little weird at first, but I guess I'm getting used to gothic rock." The two laughed, Scott shaking his head. "She really chewed me out for listening to Hoobastank, claiming that they were lame and I was just following a trend, but then I caught her dancing to a burned copy, so I had her there." Jean snorted, casting an offhand glance at the corridors they were passing through. She noticed that Scott seemed to know exactly where they were going- so she asked him about his overpowering decision.

"Hey, Scott. Why'd you ask me for _my_ opinion if you knew where we were going anyways?" Jean's voice rang with a tone that suggested she was a bit on the peeved side, and Scott was quick to make amends for his error.

"Sorry, Jean. You just said something about movies, so I thought, you know, we'd just grab a couch in the Student Commons. Would you like to do something else?" He asked, pausing his footsteps to look Jean in the face. Jean smiled gently and shook her head no.

"A movie sounds good." _But the couch sounds even better_.

"All right, then." Scott, much to Jean's dismay, eased his arm off of her shoulders and proceeded to the Commons.

The Student Commons was a large, dark wood room that served as a studying place during the day and immediately after school- but once dinner was over, it was a mutant war zone. Some students played foosball and ping-pong, while others sat around the large stereo system and argued over what kind of music to listen to. Fights of the loud, verbal nature were common, and often spiced up a bit with the added danger of flying sparks and other such power-created threats.

The dark, shadowy atmosphere was almost never completely lit, and if it was, the room still held a gothic-horror genre of sorts. Towering bookshelves on every wall cast shadows around the room, and the fireplace added a dance to the shadows' heels. These bookshelves held hundreds upon thousands of books on medicine, philosophy, history and all sorts of more difficult subjects: if nothing else, they provided an excellent reference section to the Institute's long list of assets. They also played host to many perches, which Nightcrawler and Karma (a newer student with an impressive 20-foot wingspan) used as often as they liked. Though it was almost a bit darkish for her tastes, Jean liked the room. The medical books had proved especially useful in her private studies.

Flopping on the couch, Scott relaxed. It wasn't often that he got to deflate. It felt foreign to ungracefully lounge on a couch, but he wasn't about to complain. Relaxation wasn't something he was about to turn down right now. And better yet, two _weeks_ of relaxation, to be spent with Jean Grey. Life, it seemed, was dealing him a decent hand at the moment. If he didn't overplay it, things could turn out well.

"Well" meaning he'd be able to get Jean on what would be considered a date, and not one between two close friends.

Scott was sick and tired of the game he and Jean had been playing for a few years now. Flirt here, flirt there, then make the excuse that your boyfriend/girlfriend is waiting and you've got to get going or else you'll be late: that was the usual order of things.

At first, Scott had promised himself that he wouldn't let his growing attraction to Student Number Five get in the way of what he had to do. He was to lead the ever-growing X-Men population, and he was to lead them well and without fault or error. He tried thinking of her as a number, but that fell through. The truth was, all the students here weren't numbers to him anymore: they were people, and reminded him of that constantly. Even brand-new members such as the winged Karma or the molecule-rearranging Genesis had stepped in as yet another younger sister and brother.

Then came his next plan: yep, Jean was beautiful, talented, and kind. Ok. Admitted. Now ignore it. That, of course, ran for about 5 minutes before it was cancelled. Jean was irresistible, and she wasn't about to let him forget it. It was almost as though she _tried_ to keep herself within his thought pattern. She was becoming a one-way train that, try as he might, Scott didn't want to step off. He _couldn't_ get off, even though he knew he might be headed into trouble if he kept going on like this.

And then there was the "What're you going to do, _tell_ her you love her? And what in the world are you going to do about Duncan?" issue. Scott could lead a band of scared, inexperienced teenagers through a three-day training session in the untamed Canadian frontier, but for pity's sake, he couldn't ask a girl out. Particularly a girl like Jean. They might be best friends and great confidents, but asking her out was much different than asking her how her day went. It was much, much different.

So here Scott was left. He was torn between his duty and his heart, overrun with the feeling that dating Jean might be distracting from his goal. But then, not dating her was like taking a bullet to the chest. All he wanted was for them to be something more, just a little bit more than the best friends that they had been for years now...

"Scott? Scott? Hello... is Scott home? Yo, leader boy!"

"Huh? What? Say what?"

"You ok there, space cowboy? Hey, what movie to you want to watch? Looks like we've got our pick." Jean held up a large stack of DVD and VHS boxes, with more levitating in the air around her. Scott regarded the floating titles, cocking an eyebrow.

"You're using your powers on movies? Why? I thought you weren't comfortable with using it in everyday life." Scott said, sitting up a bit. Jean gasped and the movies crashed down around her, bouncing on the hardwood floors and settling in heaps around her.

"Oh!" Jean squeaked, her face flushing a bright red to match her hair and her hands clenched the movies she held. She bit her lip, looking down around her. "I guess I didn't realize, I mean... When I'm alone, I usually just... Well, I... I made such a mess, didn't I?" She dropped to the floor quickly, stacking the slightly banged-up movies into neat piles. Scott hopped off the couch and began to help her, feeling a bit bad for startling her.

"I'm sorry I shocked you. I'm just not used to seeing you using you powers for something like movie picking. It's ok, you know. It must be as natural as your hands." Scott muttered, grabbing "Dodgeball" in one hand and "Catwoman" in another. He stacked them on top of one of Jean's piles, glancing up at her. She still looked flustered, her blush not abating, and she was blinking rapidly as though she was greatly distressed. He knew she didn't like to rely on her powers for things like this, and it must have taken her aback to realize that she'd been using her powers without thinking.

Jean nodded. "I'm still not really conscious about the way I use my powers when I'm alone. You know, I'll think 'Hmm, I wonder where Kitty is?' and all of a sudden, I'll hear her thoughts. Or, I'll think 'Ugh, my toothbrush is still in my bag' and it'll just come to me and place itself in my hand. It's starting to creep me out." She let out a breath, ruffling the fiery strands of hair that had fallen in her face. Scott frowned at this information.

"Do you mean they're getting out of control again?" He pressed, continuing to pick up movies like "Alien vs. Predator", "Raise Your Voice", and "The Lost Boys". Jean shook her head quickly.

"No, no, they're not... out of control. They're just, well, like you said, becoming natural. And that's bad. I mean, what if I want to turn in a paper in school and it just floats on up to the teacher? I can't have that happen. I used to be so good at keeping my thoughts in check, and now it's like-"

"Like you're taking shortcuts?"

"Exactly." Jean nodded, placing the last VHS in a pile. "There. All cleaned up. Ugh, but it's going to take forever to put them back into the shelves..."

"Do it with your powers." Scott took a chance, praying Jean wouldn't freak out at him for suggesting it. Jean turned her head to stare at him for a bit, a questioning look on her pretty face. Scott shrugged. "When you're with me, you don't need to worry about appearances. School is different. You won't slip up. But confidence that _you_ say when your powers activate will help. Just think more directly. Instead of thinking 'I wonder where...?', think, 'I'll go look'. Or instead of thinking 'I wish...', think 'I'm going to...'. And when you want something to happen, think it exactly. You know, like 'These movies need to go back there.'." Scott smiled, putting a hand on Jean's shoulder. He smiled a little more broadly when he noticed Jean's face flushed a bit again. Jean nodded, not breaking eye contact with Scott, and the movies around them lifted up and settled back into the shelves. Scott's mouth dropped open a bit at the sight of inanimate objects moving by themselves. He grinned and shook his head.

"What?"

"Nothing. I'll just never get over how cool your powers can be sometimes. I can't imagine being able to do what you can- read minds, know thoughts, move things just by thinking about it. I'm sure it's as much of a responsibility as my eyes are, but still. Who didn't wish when they were a kid that they could move stuff with their minds? I know I did. I wanted to clean my room from my bed nearly every morning."

Jean giggled, standing up. "Thanks, Scott. Sometimes you know just what to say." Giving him a hug, she turned back to the movies. "Now, what to watch?" Scott smiled and pushed her gently towards the shelves.

"I don't know. What are you in the mood for? Between Kitty, Kurt, and Genesis, we have quite the pick. There's stuff here that I didn't even get to in the theatre. I mean, look. Practically a third of these just came out, and the rest are all classics."

"You call _this_ a classic?" Jean snorted, holding up a movie titled "Spinal Tap". Scott visibly shuddered.

"Ok, _most_ of the other movies are classics." He moved Jean's hand so it put the movie back. Molding his hand to the back of hers, he dragged her fingertips along the movies. "What're you in the mood for? Horror? Comedy? Mystery? I draw the line at absolutely mushy romances and squeaky chick flicks, but I'll watch pretty much anything else." Jean laughed and closed her eyes.

"Keep moving my hand. I'll stop it and whatever we land on..." She stopped it, opened her eyes, and pulled out a movie. "...We watch."

"'The Incredibles'... good choice. Childish, but funny. And hey, it's about mutants!" Scott said, leading Jean over to the DVD player. He knelt down as Jean slid onto the couch, putting the disc into the player and pressing the green power button. Once he was assured that the movie was going to play, he settled onto the opposite end of the couch that Jean had chosen as her seat. Jean couldn't help but feel disappointed at the few feet of distance between them, and sought to close it up just a little. Scooting over to him, she thought up an excuse.

"I've never seen this before... mind filling me in a bit?"

"Sure." Scott got the idea and shifted towards her, spinning a web of tales for Jean to decipher about how the superheroes were just trying to help, but no one wanted them around anymore.

* * *

"No way! The best part was definitely the mom getting stuck between the doors. Can you imagine? That had to hurt." Jean argued, pointing at the redheaded figure on the cover slip of the DVD. Scott shook his head, his unruly bangs shifting along the edge of his sunglasses.

"Nope. Best part was undoubtedly the designer. Come on, Red. You know she was hilarious."

"Hilarious, yes. Best part, no." Jean stuck valiantly to her point, but sensed that she was fighting a losing battle. "Fine. Whatever. But I _still_ say the mom has the right of way in the end."

"There's something wrong with your thought process, Jean."

"Thanks. Some confidence-building, kind leader _you_ are."

"Now, that hurt."

"Good."

Scott smiled and shook his head ruefully. It felt good to playfully banter with Jean, as it was almost a second nature for him. Nothing they said could be taken seriously, and he craved that. It was nice to just let go once in a while, to have an argument with Jean over something as silly as whether or not the doors or the designer were better. _SO the designer_, he thought, and smirked to himself.

****

SO the doors.

The invading thought filled Scott's mind, echoing as though a fevered whispered had spoken to him. He stared hard at Jean's passive face, wondering how she'd done it, and then wondering if he could answer her back.

****

Sure you can. Just think about it, and imagine sending it off like an instant message or an email.

__

But I'm not a telepathic...

****

Doesn't matter. We've got some odd connection, Professor X says. Remember when you were in Mexico and I heard you, even though I didn't go searching for your mind and you were way outside of my range anyways?

Yeah, I do, though I'd rather forget about a lot of that. Though the plane ride home was nice.

Here, Jean backed off. A blush flitted across her cheeks, and she cursed her inability to keep it down. Scott was speaking of the kiss on the cheek that she'd given him on the plane, she was sure, and she didn't know if she had the heart to claim that it was only between friends.

To be perfectly honest to herself, she didn't know if she could even convince herself that it was only between friends. It had just felt like the right thing to do at the time, and she'd been so thankful that he was ok and he was coming home...

"I just wanted to show you how happy I was that you were coming back home to me..." She muttered, still within her shell of thoughts. Scott's eyebrows raised at first, not quite believing that she'd just said that, and then realized that she probably had meant to keep that inside of her head. He debated asking her about it, but decided he'd be better off sparing her the embarrassment. Still, the phrase 'coming back home to me' stuck in his mind, and he put a hand on Jean's shoulder.

"Hey. It's ok. I'm not going anywhere. I wouldn't leave you here all by your lonesome. Someone's got to keep you in line." He joked, flashing her his famous sparkling-white Scotty Boy grin. Jean smiled back, then looked off to the side.

"Yeah. I was just really worried about you. I thought for sure I'd never see you again." She chuckled, albeit a bit grimly, and bit her lip. "I don't think I've ever worked my powers that hard. I fought so hard to hold onto the connection and trace you'd given me. Even Professor X lost it. I guess I'm pretty lucky I didn't go crazy on the spot, huh?"

"Nah. You're a strong girl. That's why I called out to you. Because I knew that if anyone was going to get me out of there, it was going to be my best friend. Not to mention I trust you with my life and right about then, I kind of missed you a lot." Scott muttered, a bit embarrassed, but it appeared to him that Jean needed a bit of comfort at the moment. So he wrapped her up in a big, uncharacteristic hug, and didn't let go when he felt her mold her body to his.

Jean let herself sink into his chest and allowed herself to be pulled into his lap. She felt a slightly guilty twinge when she realized how uncomfortable he must be, as Scott wasn't big on physical things, but she forgot it when she felt a hand run through her hair. Shivers ran down her spine at the feeling of his nails massaging her scalp. Wrapping her arms tightly around him, she concentrated on savoring the moment. Scott's hugs were, well, rather delicious, and very hard to come by. They were like a safety blanket, and Jean was thankful for whatever she could get. Nothing could replace the feeling of his arms around her, not even Duncan, and sometimes Jean would swear that she'd give up everything just to be in his embrace for a few seconds longer.

I love him, Jean thought. The idea didn't strike her as alarming or surprising: in fact, she found it rather calming. It was a thought she held close to her heart at night, and she couldn't help but feel sometimes that Scott should know. But that would ruin the perfect image she'd set up with Duncan, and what would the other X-Men think?

What would _Scott_ think?

Hugging him tighter, Jean convinced her head to settle up on his shoulder instead of its protected position by his collarbone. Pressing her cheek against his, she let out a breath and then gathered it back in. _I might as well, _she reasoned. _Better out than in._

"Scott, I... thank you," she rushed out. Wincing, she mentally yelled at herself for being a coward. Biting her lip and gathering her courage, she sighed. Backing her face away from his, she was met with the inevitable plane of his sunglasses and the slightly curved line of his mouth.

His mouth. Scott had a very nice mouth. Curved, thin lips and white teeth... aw, screw it. What harm could it do?

I'll ignore that question for now.

Slowly touching her nose to his before sliding alongside, Jean placed her arms around Scott's neck and pressed her lips against his. Whatever she had been expecting (Scott backing away, whatever), she didn't get it. Scott made a muffled sound and didn't move. Jean felt hurt at his total lack of interest and backed off, shaking his arms off and moving towards the door. She made it about halfway before Scott blocked her way.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He jittered, holding his hands out to stop her. Jean halted, blushing furiously, and tried not to smirk proudly at the way he seemed to be out of breath. Putting her hands on her hips, she claimed indifference.

"What?"

"What do you mean, _what_? Do you always kiss and run?"

"Do you always just sit there whenever a girl kisses you?"

Scott paused, his cheeks almost matching Jean's, and sputtered.

"Only if I'm not expecting it! Jeez! You just- I mean- We were-"

"So you're saying you didn't like it," Jean reasoned, trying to get around him.

"No! No! I did! I want another go, is all!" Scott practically yelled, then caught himself. "Aw, shit." A hand made its way up to his bangs, running through them. Jean recognized the nervous habit and smiled a little.

"Another go, huh?"

"Yes, plea-"

Jean strode up to him and flung her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him for leverage as she kissed him for a second time. This time, however, Scott's arms wrapped securely around her waist and held her there. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss, catching Jean by surprise and effectively stealing her breath away. When he finally let go of her so as to get his lost breath back, Jean leaned against him, smiling like an idiot.

_My God. I-I can't feel my legs... _Jean thought to herself. She was utterly surprised when a voice answered her thought.

__

Well, that's not good.

Jean's head snapped up when she recognized Scott's voice in her mind. She let out a breathless laugh and looked away, not sure if she'd ever be able to look at Scott the same way again.

"Was that a mistake?" She murmured, unconsciously clutching his collared shirt in her hands. Scott tilted his head.

"Do you think it was?"

"Not really, but... I mean... what about the others? Duncan?" Jean questioned. She felt him tense under her hands at the mention of her current boyfriend, and felt his mind pulse with intense dislike.

"Why do you go out with that creep, huh? He mistreats you and he doesn't treat you like a queen."

"And he should?"

"He's lucky you look at him. Of course he should." Scott said defensively, making Jean giggle. "I'm serious! He's no good for you!"

"And you are?"

"Yes." Scott answered confidently, holding his chin up. "I know who you are, and I love you for it. Can Duncan say the same?" Jean cocked an eyebrow.

"You..." She stopped, unable to finish. Her mind was whirring, thoughts flying every which-way.

****

Love me?

Of course.

"All right. I can work with that," Jean said, catching his lips once more.

* * *

Reviews are appreciated, but decidedly not necessary. I love these two.

Jott. Yum.

FL

Once again, go to my page for explinations. Thanks much!


End file.
